Automatic tool-dropping machine



C. R. BOYCE. AUTOMATIC TOOL DROPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, I921.

Patented July 11, 1922.

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c. R. BOY-CE. AUTDMATICTOOL DROPPING MACHINE. x APPLIQATION FILED MAY13, 1921. 1 422 53 1 V Patented July 11, 1922.

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Y Yr J5 m 4 4 v r 42 PATENT QFHQEH CARROL R. BOYCE, OF WAUTOMA,WISCONSIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

AUTOMATIC TOOL-DROPPING MACHINE.

Patented July 11, 1922;

Application filed May 18, 1921. Serial No. 470,724.

T 0 all whom it may concern: a

Be it known that L-CARROL R. Boron, a citizen of the United Statesof'America, residing at Wautoma, in the county of Vvaushara and State ofWisconsim'have invented certain new and useful Improve.

ments in Automatic Tool-Dropping Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

The primary object of the present inven-' tion is the provision of astrong machine adapted for dropping tools such as pounding weights orboring tools after elevating the same a proper distance, agreat savingin power being provided by my machine and the dropping operation beingautomatic during the continuous operation of the source of power.

A further object of the invention isthe provision of a machine after thenature of a pile driver adapted for elevating the weight with only aslight expenditure of power and automatically releasing the weight whenreaching its highest elevated" companying drawings and in which likereference characters designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views. i

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine with the weight elevated,

Fi re 2 is a similar view thereof with the weight in its.lowered-position,

Figure 3 isa top plan view of Figure 1, I Figure 4 is a horizontaltransverse sectional, view taken lon itudinally of i the power shaftshown in igure 3, with parts removed and broken away, a protectingcasing for the spring of the clutch being also shown in section, j 1

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are vertical transverse mesh with a sectional ,viewstaken upon lines V-V, VI VI and VII-VII respectively. of Figure 4, and aFigure 8 is an end view of the elevating beam showing the pitmanconnection therefor. 7

Referring more in detail to the drawings, my invention being in thenature of a tooldropper may be arranged for elevating'and automaticallydropping any desired number of weights or tools and one form of theinvention is-herein fullyset forth embodying all of the principlesthereof in a single unit or machine for elevating and dropping a singlemember such as the weight 10. A suitable base or frame 11 is providedfor the machine herein illustrated rectangular in form, for resting uponthe ground and constituting a support for the operating mechanism aswell as the cornerfpost 12, having a pulley 13 adjacent its upper endand? over which the hoisting cable 1 1 of the weight 10 passes. v

'A- driving shaft 15 is journaled transversely of the frame 11 adjacentthe opposite end thereof from the post, 12 and has a power pulley 16 forturning by any suitable source of supply, which is unnecessary to hereinillustrate. Y

A power shaft 17 is journaled transversely ofthe frame 11 forwardly ofthe driving shaft 15, and is provided with a. gear 18 freely mountedupon the power shaft 17, by a hub 19, while the gear 18 is in constantpinion 20 secured to the drivingsbaft 15. a

An elevatingbeam 21 for the cable 14 is pivoted at its lower end upon astub shaft 22 projecting from the enlargedlower end or base- 23 of the.post 12. The cable 14 after passing from the weight 10 over theelevated pulley 13 passes over the sheave 24 journaled upon a shaft 25adjustably carried by the bifurcated free end portion 26 of the beam 21,a plurality of perforations 27 being provided for the adjustablepositioning. of said shaft 25 The lower end portions 28 of the beam 21is bifurcated for the reception of a third pulley; 29 journaled uponstub shaft 22 and over which the cable ll passes from the intermediatepulley 24:, the adjacent end of the cable 1 1 being an chored upon aspindle 3O projecting from the base 23' and having a squared end 31adapted for the detachable connection of a crank handle such asillustrated by dotted lines at 32 in Figure 1- of. the drawings;

A crank 33 fixed to one end of the power shaft 17 is pivotally connectedto the beam 21 by a pitman 34 having one end thereof pivoted as at tothe crank 33 and its upon the sleeve 41. The spring 42 normallymaintainsthecluteh members 37 and 38 in operative engagement, the clutchbe ng adapted for manual release by a suitable clutch lever 45bearingagainst the oppositeside of the shoulder 43 from the spring 42.

Atubular casing 46 is preferably provided around the spring 42 foroverlying the slots and p1'oje ctions39' and and preferably secured tothe shoulder 43. A sleeve 47 is secured to the shaft 17 and is mountedwithin a socket 48 of the hub 19 and a similar socket 49 of the clutchmember 38' for preventingmovement of the hub 19 longitudinally of thepower shaft 17. A transverse pin 50 carried by the shaft 17 ispositioned in the opposite longitudinal interior grooves 51 of theclutch member 38 which project inwardly of the clutch member 38 from thesocket 49thereof. Thepin 50 prevents rotation of the clutch member 38relatively of the power shaft 17, and taken with the dove-tailedconnection of said clutch member 3 8 with the sleeve 4l,jthet-u-rning ofthe gear 18 in the direction inclicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 of thedrawingyeffects the rotation of the power shaft 17 with its crank 33when the clutch members 37 and 38 arein engagement with each other asnormally mantained. by the spring '42.

' With theweight 10 in its lowered position as illustrated in Fig. 2,the turning of the gear 18 by the pinion 2O pulls the pitman 34the'rehy's'wing-ing the beam to its lowermost position and elevating theweight 10 as llltistfated inFig. 1. After the crank 33 passes the'longitjudinal' line of center of the. pit'ma'n34; the weight 10 exerts aforward pultupen the pitman and crank thereby trrr'nlng the crank 3'3and the clutch member 38 atagreater rate of speed than the gear andclutch member '37 permitting. the clutch mei'nher '38 to ratchet overthe "clutch member 37 while the weight 10 drops and the beam 21 returnsto the position shown in'Fig. 2. It will beseen that the continuedrotation of the gear 18 at a uniform speed successively elevates theweight 10 which is automatically released by the clutch members 37 and38 for dropping for use in driving pipe, piling or other objects. Itwill be obvious that a drilling tool may be employed instead 'oftheweight 10 while the operative position of the tool or weight isregulated by turning the shaft 30. V a

Not only is the length of thecable 14 adjusted as desired, by'meansofthe shaft 30fo'r the regular operation of the machine but the shaft 30may also be employed for elevatingthe tool, or weight attached to thecable from any lowered position such as a upon the crank 33 consistingofan arm 52 having a weight 53 at one end and pivoted to the crank 33at'its opposite end 54. A strap 55 limits the swinging movement of thearm '52fand"just-preceding the instant that both the crank 33 and pitman34 reach like positions as shown in "Figure 1, the weight 53" swings thearm 52 against the inner end of the crank 33, as shown in Figure 1giving a; sudden forward impulse to the crank 33 causing-a quickerrelease of the clutch 3T and'38a1id more quickly bringing the we'ight 10to its dropping position for automatic release and operation .Thecomplete operation 'of thed'evice will be apparent from this detaileddescription thereof and whilelthe form herein's et forth isbe lievedpreferable, it willbe understood that changes may be ma'de'thereinwithout de parting from thespirit and scope of my invention. i a

What I claim as new and desire tofsecure by Letters Patent, is i 1., Atool-elevating machine comprising an inclined beam. mounted foroscillations, a cable adj ustablylattached' to the be'am,fa tool securedto the; free endof the cable, a power shaft,'a cranklupon said shaft,pitman connectionsbetvveen saidsha'ft and beam, prop'elling gear'uponsaidishaft, clutch members between 'saidshaft and gear adapted forantomatic'release-when the tool is at itsmo'st elevated position, manualreleasing means for a chitch; 'a-djusta'ble winding means for the cableand an accelerating means for the crank carried by the crank adjacentthe power shaft.

2. A device of the class described comprising a base, a beam pivoted atits lower end to the base with a bifurcated free end portion providedwith transverse perforations, a shaft adjustably positioned through onepair of said perforations, a sheave journaled upon said shaft betweenthe bifurcations of the beam, a pulley journaled at the pivoted end ofthe beam, a post carried by the base, a pulley adjacent the top of thepost, an elevating cable running over said pulleys with an intermediateportion positioned over said sheave, a spindle to which the cable isanchored adapted for rotation during the winding of the cable thereon, atool upon the free end of the cable, a power shaft carried by the base,a clutch member adjustably attached to said shaft, a crank secured tothe shaft, a pitman pivotally connected between the free end of saidcrank and said shaft upon the beam, and a propelling gear journaled uponsaid power shaft normally operatively connected to said clutch memberand adapted for automatic release when the tool is elevated.

3. A device of the class described comprising a base, a beam pivoted atits lower end to the base with a bifurcated free end por- 7 tionprovided with transverse perforations,

a shaft adjustably positioned through one pair of said perforations, asheave journaled upon said shaft between the bifurcations of the beam, apulley journaled at the pivoted end of the beam, a post carried by thebase, a pulley adjacent the top of the post, an elevating cable runningover said pulleys with an intermediate portion positioned over saidsheave, a spindle to which the cable is anchored adapted for rotationduring the winding of the cable thereon, a. tool upon the free end ofthe cable, a power shaft carried by the base, a clutch member adjustablyattached to said shaft, a crank secured to the shaft, a pitman pivotally connected between the free end of said crank and said shaft uponthe beam, a propelling gear journalled upon said power shaft normallyoperatively connected to said clutch member and adapted for automaticrelease when the tool is elevated, an accelerating means upon the crankadjacent the power shaft comprising an arm pivoted to the crank, aweight at the free end of the arm extending beyond the end of the crankand a limiting strap for the arm carried by the crank.

4L. In a device of the class described, a power shaft, a gear having ahub journaled thereon and provided with clutch teeth at one end of thehub with a recess in the hub surrounding the shaft adjacent said teeth,a sleeve within said recess fixed to the shaft adapted for preventinglongitudinal move ment of the gear, a clutch member longitudinallyslidable upon the shaft having teeth adapted to cooperate with theadjacent end of the hub and having an inwardly projecting recess adaptedfor overlying said sleeve when the clutch is in its engaging position,the said clutch member having inwardly extending opposite grooves,adjacent the shaft, a transverse pin through the shaft projecting intosaid grooves, a sleeve secured to the opposite end portion of the shaftfrom said gear having projections extending toward the gear, said clutchmember having slots in which said projections are normally positionedwhereby longitudinal movement of the clutch member is permitted butrotate relatively of the power shaft is prevented and a spring tensionedbetween said last named sleeve and clutch member whereby the clutch isnormally closed during operation.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CARROL R. BOYCE.

